Improved washing-machine



NITED STATES PATENT FFIC.

HAMILTON E. SMITH, OF PITTSBRG, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVED WASHlNG-MACHINE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 39,360, dated July 28,1863.

.To all whom it may concern: e

Be it known that I, HAMILTON E. SMITH, of Pittsburg, county ofAllegheny, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvementsin fashing-lllachines; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, and to the letters of ,reference markedthereon.

My invention relates to washing-machines in which the clothes aredeposited iu a perforated vessel driven by steam or other power and myinvention consists in causing the vessel to revolve first in onedirection and then in the other; also, in mechanism for reversing themotion of the vessel.

In order to enable others to make and use my invention, I will nowproceed to describe its construction and operation.

On reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of thisspecication, Figure l is a front view, partly in section, of my improvedwashing-machine Fig. 2, part of Fig. 1, showing the operation of thestrapshifter; Fig. 3, a transverse section ofthe machine; Fig. 4,adetached sectionalview of part ofthe machine 5 Fig.5, a detachedsectional view of the driving-pulleys, drawn to an enlarged scale; andFig. 6, a view of the strap-shifting arms.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

A is va trough or reservoir containing the water, suds, Snc., and withinthis trough revolves a perforated vessel, B, which, in the presentinstance, is of the hexagonal form represented in Fig. 3, a series oflongitudinal rods, a, extending from end to end of the vessel, one sideof which is hinged at x, so as to form a door, b, which can beeleva-ted, there by leaving an opening through which the clothes aredeposited in the vessel. The method of securing this door so that itcannot become loosened by the revolutions of the vessel will be bestobserved on reference to Fig. 4.

A latch, C, is arranged to slide in guides situated near each end of thedoor, the outer end of each latch being adapted to a staple, E, securedto the perforated vessel B near the end of the same. A spring, e, bearsagainst the opposite end of the latch, which cannot be Withdrawn fromthe staple E without rst depressing the said spring. To one ofthejournals f of the perforated vessel B is secured a cog-wheel, F,which gears into apiniou, G, on a shalt, H, the latter turning at oneend in the edge ofthe trough A, and at the opposite end in a frame, I,secured to the trough by cross bars J and K. On this shaft H are threepulleys, L, L', and L", the middle pulley, L', being fast and the otherpulleys loose. Two belts, M and l \'l', the former being straight andthe latter crossed, pass round the pulleys on the shaft H and round abroad pulley, N, on the driving-shaft P, which is shown, in the presentinstance, as turning in standards Q and Q', secured to the trough, butwhich may turn in hangers or brackets secured to the roof or wall of thebuilding in which the machine is situated. To the cross-bar J is hung alever, It, having two curved arms, t and t', the upper end of the arm tbeing formed into a guide for the crossbelt M', and the upper end ofthearm t' into a similar guide for the straight belt M. The short arm ofthe lever 1t projects into an irregular groove formed in the edge of acam-wheel, S, on a shaft, T, which turns in a projection, h, on theframe I, the shaft being furnished with a cog-wheel, U, which gears intoa pinion, V, on a shaft Which turns in the frame I, and which has apulley, i, round which, as well as round a smaller pulley, k, attachedto or for-min g a part of the pulley L, passes a cord or band, m. Abracket, W, is secured to the trough near one end ofthe same, and inthis bracket turn the two wringing-rollers, X and X', the lower one ofwhich is driven by a belt from the driving-shaft P. Supposing thisdrivingshaft to be turning in the direction of the arrow and the beltsto be in the position shown in Fig. l, the straight belt M passing'round the fast pulley L' andthe crossed belt passing round the loosepulley L", the strap-guides ot' the lever R, owing to the peculiar formof the groove in the cam-wheel T, serving to maintain the straps in theposition indicated, it Will be evident that as the crossed belt is thedriving-belt for the time being the perforated vessel B must revolve ina contrary direction to that of the driving-shaft.

As the perforated vessel continues to turn, however, a slow rotarymotion is imparted to the cam-wheel T, the groove of which is of such aform that at one point in itsrevolution the arm R will be suddenly movedfrom the position shown in Fig. l to that seen in Fig. 2, therebycausing the guide-arms t and t to move the crossed belt M to the fastpulley L and the straight belt M to the loose pulley L, in which casethe latter belt must be the driving-belt, and the motion oftheperforated vessel must be reversed.

The Width of the pulley L is such in relation to the Width ot' the strapM that the latter never leaves the said pulley L, so that in Whateverdirection the vessel B may revolve the cam-wheel l never changes itscourse but continues to revolve in the same direction.

It should be understood that the vessel B turns at the rate 0t` aboutfifty revolutions per minute, and that the cleaning of the clothes isfor the most part eli'ected by centrifugal force, which causes them toadhere tothe sides of the vessel and the water to penetrate theinterstices of the fabric. I*

The importance of sudden and repeated reversa-ls of the motion ot' theperforated vessel B will be readily understood when it is borne n1 mindthat at every reversal the clothes are i suddenly turned over and theposition of the entire mass changed.

Vithout contining myself to any specific form of vessel or trough, claimas my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The perforatedvessel B, hung within a trough, A, and actuated from any adjacentdrivingshaft through the medium ot' the devices herein described, or anyequivalent to the saine, for the purpose ot' reversing the motion of thevessel at intervals.

2. Operatingthe strap-guides t and tf by means of a cam-wheel, T, or itsequivalent, to which a continuous rotary motion is imparted by means ofthe loose pulley L and strap M and any desired system of intermediategearing, substantially as described.

ln testimony whereofI have signed my name to this specification in thepresence ot two subscribing witnesses.

HAMILTON E. SMITH.

Witnesses:

H ENRY HOWsoN, Jol-1N Wrnrn.

